Confessions of a Closet Catholic

I really enjoyed the book, Confessions of a Closet Catholic, by Sarah Darer Littman. I thought that she created a characters that many readers could relate to. Furthermore, she exposed the constructs that it is okay for one to question their religion.

Towards the beginning of the novel, I found the contrast between Jussy's mom and Mac's mom to be somewhat stereotypical. Mac's mom is the "perfect mom" in the "perfect Catholic family" whereas Jussy's mom is the overly clean Jewish mom. It bothered me that Littman portrayed the two characters in this way and I wondered how young readers - especially Jewish readers - would react to this. However, as the book went on, more of the family dynamics were exposed and the conflicts between Jussy and her Mom were eventually resovled.

Another idea that I thought this book dealt with was the idea of religion being arbitrary. Jussy uses grape juice, matza balls, and a teddy bear to represent Catholic icons. I think that one of the themes of this book is that religion is personal and it is whatever a person makes of it. One can follow traditions and norms of certain religions or one can make up their own rituals or follow traditions selectively - any way you do it is fine. This is an imporant idea to get across to young readers who may still be in the mentailty that Catholics can only do this and Protestants can only do that, etc.

Overall, I thought this book posed a lot of insightful questions. It was an enjoyable read and something that I was able to relate to easily.

Thoughts on "Becoming Naomi Leon" (Group B)

Reading "Becoming Naomi Leon", by Pam Munoz Ryan, was truly enjoyable. It was interesting to read the Barrera and Quiroa article before hand ("The use of Spanish in Latino Children's Literature in English: What Makes for Cultural Authenticity?") and then see the parallels between the article and the book. In the article, the authors discuss the role of kinship and families in Latino Literature. During the novel, Naomi's mom shows up unexpectantly (after years of her being gone) and Naomi grapples with her identity in relation to her family.

What was refreshing about this novel was how gender roles were "reversed" in some ways. Rather than reading about an uninvovled and destitute father, we see a father who loves his children and wants to be with him. After reading so many books that shed father's in a negative light, this book gives one a fresh outlook. Also, the book high lighted extended kinship systems; Naomi not only had Gram and Owen as her support system, but neighbors and extended family members. The book also showed how cummunal the Latina community is, as when Naomi traveled to Mexico, her family accepted her immediately and worked together to find Naomi's father.

Another element of this book that made it unique from other reads was Naomi's voice. For a child who is struggling with problems between two parents, this novel offers a "friend" or voice that one can relate to. Often, problems within families are kept under wraps, or "hushed". Children dealing with these problems may not have an outlet or source to relate to. This book gives children a character to that they can turn to when coping with the same sort of issues.

I think this book is an outstanding resource, not only does it confront issues with families, it also exposes children to the Latina community in a positive and non-stereotypical way.